


Doorstep collapse

by NYWCgirl



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Cages, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exhaustion, Friendship, Gaslighting, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Restraints, Team as Family, collapse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29821491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NYWCgirl/pseuds/NYWCgirl
Summary: Mac is MIA, the team searched everywhere but there is no trace to be found. They can only hope that Mac can save himself.
Kudos: 28
Collections: Hurt/Comfort Bingo - Round 11





	Doorstep collapse

**Author's Note:**

> The ficlet fills the prompt ‘doorstep collapse’ for amow and the ‘gaslighting’ square on my H/C Bingo. It was written to fill the February challenge at H/C Bingo, filling the prompts, restrained, cages, hugs and a wild card.

Jack kills the engine of his GTO. Tomorrow he must really take the Stingray, the car has been standing still for too long. But for some reason, he can´t seem to make himself use it. It is still at Mac’s house where they were working on it before…

Jack shakes his head, it is late and he needs to sleep. He has been following leads for weeks now and he is no closer to finding Mac then he has when the kid was just taken. He walks into his apartment, making a beeline for the fridge, but it is empty. Come on Dalton, get your shit together, you need groceries, you are no good to mac when you collapse from exhaustion and malnutrition. Why a sigh, he pulls one of the take-out menus from the fridge. He really needs food.

* * *

Mac is not sure where he is, but what he is sure about is that he needs to get away from here. He needs to go home. Home is safe, or is it? Something in his mind nags but he can´t go to his team. They are dead. He didn´t believe it at first, but he saw the pictures, they were all executed. He needs to get home. Home is safe. Home. But where is home? He scans his surroundings. They don´t appear familiar. If only his vision wasn´t as blurry and his head would stop pounding. Think! Where is he? He needs to find out.

* * *

Jack wakes when his alarms blares. He checks the clock radio. Six a.m. With a sigh, he gets up and works through his morning routine. Since there is nothing in his fridge, he is out the door in a jiffy. He gets in the GTO, remembering the Stingray. That means going to Mac’s house first. Maybe that is not such a bad thing, maybe Bozer made breakfast. So instead of driving to the Phoenix, he drives towards Mac.

When he arrives, he takes a moment before he gets out of the car. He can do this. The door is locked, but Jack has a key, so he lets himself in, calling out to Bozer. He can smell muffins but Bozer doesn´t respond. He checks the garage and Mac’s jeep is gone, so Bozer already left. Well, now that he is here, he might as well scam some of Bozer’s breakfast. The Muffins are on a cooling rack, so he takes one, starting the coffee machine. While he waits for the coffee, he checks his emails on his phone. Suddenly he hears something. He gets up. The noise came from the garage, so he walks up to it, unholstering his gun. It wouldn´t be the first time some maniac appeared on Mac’s doorstep. He opens the door.

‘Identify yourself! I am armed.’

There is the sound again, like someone trying to hide behind something.

‘Show yourself!’

Jack wants to enter the garage when there is a loud stumble and someone bumps into him. No not someone, Mac!’

‘Mac! God kid, what happened?’

He is just in time to see the kid’s eyes roll back and going limp.

* * *

‘Your team is dead, Mac. Face it, nobody is coming for you. You’re here and mine.’

‘I’m not yours!’ he spats in the man’s face.

‘We,, we will need to change that attitude, although I like them feisty. We have all the time in the world.’

The man leaves and Mac checks his surroundings. He is locked in a cage. It is big enough so he can lay down in it and stand straight. He checks the lock. He will need tools to get that open. And it is not that he can do much the way he is restrained. His hands are wrapped in duct tape.

‘I bet you are thirsty.’

‘I’m fine.’

‘It wasn´t a request. Drink!’

Mac eyes the bottle the man is holding. He cracks it open and gestures Mac to come closer. When he doesn´t move, the man gives him an unimpressed look.

‘Don’t make me hurt you. I will enjoy it a lot more than you will. Are you going to drink voluntarily?’

The water is probably laced with something, but it is not that Mac can prevent the man from drugging him and his body needs the water, so he comes closer and drinks from the bottle that is held out to him. When he finishes the bottle, the man leaves the room without saying anything. Mac is left alone and he starts trying to get rid of the duct tape around his hands. At first he doesn´t notices but his eyes start drooping and then all of a sudden he goes limp.

‘Mac? Mac! Come on kid, wake up.’

That is strange, the man never called him Mac. And that voice, it is so familiar, but it can´t Jack is dead. The man showed him the picture of Jack executed, a bullet to the heart and one to the head. He must have been dead before he hit the ground.

If this is a hallucination, it is a nice one, maybe he can revel in it for a bit longer, that would be really nice.

‘It’s OK, Mac, I’m here. You’re safe.’

* * *

Jack takes his phone and calls the Phoenix.

‘Matty, I’ve got Mac, but I need a medevac at his place. He is unconscious and I can’t get him to stay awake.’

‘Doc Carl and his team are gearing up as we speak.’

‘Thank you Matty.’

Jack looks at Mac, the kid looks horrible. It is clear Mac can hear him, but can’t wake up. So he can only imagine what Mac went through. But he will have to wait until the kid wakes up to find out what happened.

Since he doesn´t know why Mac is unconscious, he puts Mac in recovery position. The wait seems the longest he has ever experienced, but he knows that the Phoenix medical team does its best to get to them as quick as they can.

When the doorbell rings, Jack hurries to open the door.

‘Talk to me Jack, what happened? I thought the kid went MIA?’

‘I came here to get my car and I heard something in the garage, when I went to check it, Mac stumbled into my arms. He lost consciousness and I wasn’t able to wake him up.’

‘OK, let’s get some vitals.’

Doc Carl examines Mac, jotting data on the back of his gloved hand. He takes a capsule of smelling salt and breaks it under Mac’s nose. Mac grimaces and his eyelids flutter.

‘Mac? Can you open your eyes for me? Mac?’

It’s clear to both men that Mac is trying but can’t seem to take that last hurdle.

‘Mac, it’s OK, we’re gonna transport you to Phoenix medical.’

The team quickly readies Mac for transport and they are off.

* * *

There is a sting in his arm and Mac flinches.

‘I’m sorry Mac. I should have warned you. Can you open your eyes for me?’

Mac groans, he parts his lips to suck in a breath.

‘That’s it Mac, you can do it.’

Mac finally manages to open his eyes, blinking against the overhead lights.

‘There you are.’

Mac tries to focus on the man standing next to his bed.

‘What happened?’ he slurs.

‘That is what we would like to know from you.’

Mac finally realizes who is standing next to his bed, it is doc Carl.

‘How are you feeling?’

‘Weird, floaty, … drugged.’

‘Well, you have the drugged part correct. We found several drugs in your system, it seems that you have been consistently drugged.’

‘I don´t feel well.’ Mac gulps.

‘Something specific, or in general?’

‘Something is wrong, I…’

Mac can feel his head pounding and his vision is tunneling. He can feel his breathing picking up.

‘It’s OK Mac, try to slow down your breathing. I think is the withdrawal symptoms we are trying to stay on top of. What is bothering you, Mac? We can’t help you if you’re not talking to us.’

‘I want to sleep.’

Doc Carl knows he is deflecting, but there is nothing he can do if Mac isn´t willing to talk, but resting is always good.

‘That’s a good idea. Get some rest. Let your system get through the drugs, we will be monitoring you.’

Mac nods, eyes closed. He doesn´t want to deal with the medical staff. His team is dead. It only hits him now, his team is dead. He is all alone. Tears start to spill, but Mac turns around, facing the wall and silently lets them fall.

* * *

When Doc Carl leaves Mac’s room, he is concerned. Physically they will get Mac up and about in no time. The kid is fit enough to get through this without much problems. The dehydration is already been worked on with the IV’s. They will start Mac on a liquid diet and build from there. But what worries him is the depression the kid is clearly suffering. Mac is withholding information. Something is bothering him, haunting him. He will have to talk to Jack.

‘Hey doc, how is Mac doing?’

‘Good to see you Jack, he just woke.’

‘What? Why didn´t you call me?’

‘Well, it was just briefly.’

‘And? How is he?’

‘Well, he is depressed, which isn´t strange of course, given the circumstances. His injuries are not too bad, they will heal pretty quickly.’

Jack nods.

‘I will be back shortly to check on his medication. See you then.’

The doc leaves and Jack enters the room. Mac is fast asleep or appears to be, so Jack takes his files and starts writing his report. Contraire to what people think, he does write reports and does de-briefs. He is almost finished, when Mac moves, so Jack looks up. It is apparent that mac is still asleep but dreaming. It isn´t uncommon and as long as the dreams don´t cause him distress, he will let Mac sleep. The kid needs it.

But it doesn´t take long, before the movements become more frantic and Mac starts mumbling. Jack can´t make out what he is saying, but it is clear the dream are no longer innocent.

‘Mac? Mac, wake up buddy.’

He gently shakes Mac’s arm, the one without an IV, staying clear of Mac’s swing, he learned this the hard way. Mac continues to mumble under his breath, but his movements become more frantic, so Jack pushes the call button. Doc Carl almost immediately walks in, he takes in the scene and walks to the other side of Mac’s bed.

‘I can´t seem to wake him up.’

‘Yeah, he is having a nightmare. There is no reason to wake him up, he will do so when he is ready. They normally won’t last that long. It is hard to watch, but they are a natural process. As long as he doesn´t harm himself or anybody else, it’s OK.’

‘OK.4

Both men keep an eye, doc Carl uses the time to enter some data in Mac’s medical file and all of a sudden, Mac jackknifes up, eyes wide.

‘Welcome back Mac, that was quite the nightmare? Do you want some water?’

Mac stares with wide eyes at Jack and scoots back in the bed until he bumps against the wall. He squeezes his eyes close and mumbles.

‘Not real, I am still there.’

‘You’re in Phoenix medical, Mac. Can you tell me who I am?’ Doc Carl asks.

‘Doc Carl.’

‘That’s right. So why do you think you are still there? I can assure you that you are not.’

The physician can see Mac’s eyes dart towards Jack.

‘Jack, can you come closer, please?’

Jack slowly approaches, ‘hey Mac, what’s got you so spooked. We found you.’

Mac shakes his head, but when Jack is close enough, he slowly extends his hand until he can touch Jack.

‘See, real.’

‘You are not dead?’

Jack gives him an easy smile, dead? No way man, and miss all the fun. Who told you I was dead?’

‘He showed me pictures.’

Jack clearly needs all his will power to stay relaxed, I am real, kid, can I hug you know?’

Mac gives a shaky nod, and Jack pulls him into a bear hug. He can feel Mac inhaling his scent and relaxing.

‘I am real, kid, you are not hallucinating. We are all fine. You are the one we are worried about.’

‘It seemed so real.’

‘I know. But we are going to focus on getting you back healthy again and then we will go after that bastard.’

Mac nods.’

Jack can see doc carl inject something into Mac’s IV and it doesn´t take long before Mac starts to relax even further. When he can feel Mac has dropped off, he slowly re-arranges him in the bed.

‘He needs the rest Jack, and you as well…’

‘I’m not…’

‘You can take that bed. I know you want to stay and he needs you and I agree. Mac needs proof that this is all real. Stay with him Jack and keep your boy sane. We will take care of his physical wellbeing.’

‘Thanks doc.’

Jack decides to get his go-bag from his locker now that Mac is still under so he doesn´t need to go away while the kid is awake. He will make sure he is here and he will take care of Mac.


End file.
